Flat-top screw-threaded vial manufacture



May 2, 1933. w, H KEY 1,906,617

FLAT TOP SCREW THREADED VIAL MANUFACTURE Filed Nov. 9, 1931 5 be.usedffor liquids or powders, although such vials and their caps haveheretofore Patented May 2, 1933 I WIILLIA'M'HQ-Y xnzonvmrmmb, new JERSEssmnoafro xmnmemssicoin PANY, or VINELAYND, NEW JERSEYQA CORZBOBATION orILLINOIS ILan'roFscBEw-THREADED .vrAr. MAN AC UR Y Application'filedNovember 9, 1931.. Serial No. 573,763.

Glass vials with screw-threaded necks for theaecommodation andattachment in place of threaded closures orcaps. for the containformingmachine, granted 'November 28,

Owing, however, to the tools employed in such cmachinesijandto theirmanner of use and cooperation with one another, the end of the neckaround the mouth of the vial has seldom, ifever, been sufiiciently fiatand smooth so thatthe companioncap would seal the container tight,wherebyitcould not been employed-inlarge quantities for other.

purposes: H

c Iwhave madesuch improvements in the tools or implements functioningtoproduce thethreaded necks of such vials that flat-top or plane-end vialscan be commercially made 'onsuch machineland can, therefore, beemployedinthe trade for purposes fo'rwh clr vials of this general.character have heretofore beenunsuiteda In making screw-neck machine ofsaid LettersPatent'and incorporating. other features of improvement, the

screw-threads have. extended to-the end of the-vial neckaround the mouthof such re-, ceptacle, Withthe result that 'during their manufacturesome of the soft or molten glass hascbeensqueezed outbetween the formingfaces to sealthe-containers tightly and ef-H fectively.

Accordingly, machine, which I employ is substantiallyulike that of saidLetters Patent, with the exception of thetools and the shapes of thecams which effect the action 'ofsuch glass-shaping implements; From anunderstanding ofwhat follows it, is -an';easy;matter to adapt thepatented glass vials on the 1 machine ,to Work the new tools in themanner indicated hereinafter, and, accordingly,

- it-is deemed unnecessary to duplicate in :this patent the -mechanismof the I earlier patent to which reference ismade for the details ofconstruction. v

e I have found that byusing a relativelyflat, nonrotating plunger insideof the heated end of the tubular glass blankv from which the vlal istobe formed, instead of employin the patent, the desirableadvantageaccruesthat the plunger or insideforming element affords anamount of friction on the inside of the vial neck to clear up and polishtheglass and, to prevent carbon fromytheoil usedfon theplungerfromsettling thereon and makings-it somewhat rough.

' If suchcarbon finds lodgment onia rotary atiiad marin the groove of.

' thethread-forming roller extends from one end of the roll'ertoflitsopposite end, the result being that some. of the 'hot glass insuch" vhelical groove ,or channel during, the

performance ofits thread-forming function squeezesout ofpne end of thegroove enough toprevent-the top or end of the neckfrom' being perfectlyfiat. I I 1 I In my improvedmachinethis detrimental effect is avoided byusing a rotary-threadiproducing die, the spiral-thread groove inwhichdoes not reach to that end of the'die atthe mouth of the vial, and, atthe same time the neck-forming tool remains in action to vhold the softglass in close'contact with the abutment ofthe plunger which forms theflat mouth or: top end ofthe vial."

- Thus by using these improvements Zinico operation I am enabled tomanufacture flattop, screw-threaded-vials with rapidity. and economy. i

both fromvstructural and functional stand-.

-00 ing a round, revoluble plunger asdisclosed points, in theaccompanying drawing I have illustrated present, preferred method andmeans of forming such vials, the illustration being somewhatdiagrammatical but sufficient for the present purpose.

In this drawing Figure 1 shows in elevation the heated end of thetubular glass blank and the three tools in retracted position;

Figure Qis a similar view with the tools advanced, the plunger havingentered the open mouth of the blank; I

Figure 3 illustrates the next step in the operation, the forming of theneck;

Figure 4 reveals the succeeding step which comprises the production ofthe screwthread on the exterior of the neck; and

-Figure 5 is a perspective view of the plunger or inner tool. V

The glass tube or blank 10 is supported and rotated by the meanspresented in the patent referred to, or by any other convenient andappropiate mechanism, and, after the end section of such blank hasbecome sutficiently heated so that the glass is soft, a flat plungerorinside-former 11, having an abutment or shoulder 12, is slid into suchend of the blank the proper distance by suitable mechanism such as setforth in the patent.

Then the neck-forming tool 13, which has traveled forwardly with theplunger 11, is, by means similar to'that' illustrated in the patent,moved up to the heated end portion of the blank, and it, in conjunctionwith the shouldered plunger, fashions or shapes the soft glass of therotating blank into a suitable neck with a flat top or end, as shown inFigure '3.

Thereupon, and while the plunger 11 and the neck-forming tool 13 areboth still in engagement with the blank, as: specified, the revoluble,thread-forming die-roller '14,

which was also carried forwardly with the plunger, moves in toward'theneck, contacts 7 therewith, and is rotated thereby, so that the groove15 inthe die produces the screwthread on the outside of theneck,'asillustrated in Figure 4.

As is clearly depicted, the groove 15 of the die extends to that end ofthe die-roller'14 nearest the body or main portion of the tubular blank,but such groove ends or terminates short of the other end of the roller,with the result that the screw-thread on the vial neck does not reach tothe corresponding end of the vial but continues, nevertheless, to' theother end of the neck. 7

By having one end of the groove 15 closed, the hot'glass cannot squeezeout of such end, and therefore, cannot interfere with the production andmaintenance of a truly flat end for the neck-against which the cap maybear.

Also, during the production of the thread on the neck, the tool 13 holdsthe plastic glass against the shoulder 12, thereby assuring the flatnessof the top in the finished product.

The threaded neck having been formed on the blank, the toolsautomatically separate and recedeto their original position, so that thefinished product may be readily removed from the machine.

The invention has been stated in the following claims, but it is to beborne in mind that many more or less minor or radical changes may beincorporated in the preferred mechanism without departure from the heartof the invention and without the loss of any of its substantialadvantages.

I claim: a

1. In a machine for forming screw-threaded necks on glass-vials, thecombination of means to rotate a tubular glass-blank about its axis,means to heat an end section of said blank, a shouldered plunger adaptedto enter the heated end of the blank, a neck-forming tool adapted tobear on the exterior of the heated end portion of the blank and form theneck thereon, a rotary screw-threadforming roller adapted to bear on theoutside of the heated neck of the vial to provide the screwthreadthereon, said roller having a spiral thread-forming groove terminatingshort of the corresponding end of the roller to stop the thread on thevial-neck short of the openmouth end thereof, and means to slide saidplunger into the open heated end of the t-ubular glass-blank, to advancethe neck-forming tool to the heated section of the blank to provide thevial-neck thereon, and to advance the roller into engagement with theheated; vial-neck to form the screw-thread thereon, and to retract saidplunger, tool and roller from the finished product, the shoulder ofsaid' plunger by engagement with the end of the heated blank formingsuch end fiat and at right-angles to the axis of the blank.

2. In a machine for formingscrew-threaded necks on glass-vials, thecombination of means to rotate a tubular glass-blank about its axis,means to heat an end portion of said blank, a non-circularnon-rotatableshouldered plunger adapted to enter'the heated end of theblank, a neck-forming tool adapted to bear on the exterior of the heatedend portion of the blank and form the neck thereon, a rotaryscrew-thread forming roller adapted to bear on the outside of the heatedneck of the vial to provide the screwthread thereon, said roller havingaspiral thread-forming groove terminating short of the corresponding endof the roller to stop the thread on the vial-neck short of the openmouthend thereof, and means to slide said plunger into the open heated'end ofthe tubular glass-blank, to advance the neck-forming tool to the heatedsection of the blank to provide the vial-neck thereon, and to ad- Isectionof the blank to provide the vial-neck Vance the rollerintoengagement with the heated vial-neck toform the screw-threadthereon'while the plunger is in the ne'ck and with itsshoulderbearingagainst the end of I the neck, and to retract saidplunger, tool and roller from the finished product, the shoulder of saidplunger by engagement with the end of the heated blank forming such endflat and at right-angles-to the axis of the blank.

3.; In a machine forformingscrew-threaded necks on glass-vials, thecombination of means to rotate a tubular glass-blank about its axis,means to heat an end portion of said blank, a non-circular non-rotatableshouldered plunger adapted to enter the heated end ofthe blank, anon-rotary neckforming tool adapted to'bear on the exterior .of theheated end portionofthe blank and form theneck thereon, a rotaryscrewthread forming roller adapted to bear on the outside of the heatedneck of the vial to I provide the screws-thread thereon, said roll-" erhaving a spiral thread-forming groove terminating short of thecorresponding end of the roller tostopthe thread on the vialneck shortof the open-mouth end thereof,

, and means to slide saidplunger into the open heated end of the tubularglass-blank, to advance the neck-forming tool to the heated thereon, andto advance the roller into engagement with the heated vial-neck to formthe screw-thread thereon while the plunger is in the neck and with itsshoulder bearing against the end of theneck and while the neck-formingtoolis in engagement with the neck, and to retract said plunger, tooland roller from the finished product, theshoulthe blank and form theneck thereon, and a whereby itmay be brought to bear on the- 'der ofsaid plunger by engagement with the end of the heated blank forming suchend flat and at right blank. I

angles to the axisof the '4; In an appliance for forming screwthreadednecks on glass-vials,-the combination of a shouldered plunger adapted tobe inserted in the heated open end of a rotating hollow glass-blank sothat the blank end will bear against said shoulder, a neck-forming toolmovable longitudinally with said plunger and shiftabletoward andfrom-said plungerwhereby it maybe brought to bear on the exterior of theheated end portion of revoluble screw-thread-forming' roller movablelongitudinally with saidplunger and shiftable toward and from saidplunger outside of the heated-neck of the vial to provide thescrew-thread thereon, said roller I having a spiral thread-forminggroove on,

its periphery terminating short of the corresponding end of' the rollerto stop the of the heated blank orming such end flat of said plungerbyen agement with theend andat right-angles to the axis of the blank.

5. In an appliance for forming screw-- threaded necks on glass-vials,the combina tion of a shouldered plunger adapted to be inserted in theopen heated end of a rotating hollow glass-blank so that the end of theblank will bear against said shoulder, a neck-forming tool shiftabletoward and .from said plunger whereby it may be brought to bear on theexterior of the heat-' ed end portion of the-blank and form theneckthereon, and a revoluble screw-threadforming roller shiftable towardand from said plunger whereby itmay be brought to bearon the outside ofthe heated neck of thevial to providethe screw-thread thereon, J

said roller having a spiral thread-forming groove having one endreaching to and open at the corresponding end of the roller and having'itsother end terminating short of a V the opposite end of the roller toterminate the thread produced on the vial-neckshort i of theopenunouthend thereof, the shoulder of said plunger by engagement withthe end of the heated blank, forming such end .flat and at right-anglesto the axis of the blank. r t

6. In an appliance for forming screwthreaded necks on glass-vials, thecombination of a fiat non-rotatable shouldered plungeradapted to beinserted in the open heated end of a rotatinghollow glass-blank .so thatthe end of the glass-blank will bear against said shoulder, a non-rotaryneck forming tool shiftable toward. and from said plunger whereby it maybebrought to bear on the exterior of the heated 'end' portion of theblank and form the neck thereon, and a revoluble s crew-thread-formingroller shift- I able toward and from said plunger whereby it may bebrought to bear on the outside of the heated neck of the vial toprovidethe screw-thread thereon, said roller having. a

" angles to the axis of the blank.

' In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, I

p 1 WILLIAM H. KEY;

thread produced on thevial-neck short of 7 I I the open-mouthendthereof, the shoulderv [spiral thread-forming-groove having one a

